How to Declutter Without Creating Waste—and Where Unwanted Items Should Really Go

Decluttering looks different for everyone. Sometimes it’s driven by a life transition like moving or loss, and other times it’s simply reaching a breaking point with daily clutter. As a professional organizer focusing on functional organizing, Amy Bergman spends a lot of time helping clients release items responsibly—not just quickly. 

“What keeps people going isn’t pressure, it’s clarity,” Bergman says. “I always bring clients back to their ‘why’ and what they want their home to feel like when the clutter is gone. When you can picture the end result, it becomes much easier to push through the harder decisions.”

Our experts offer guidance on starting the decluttering process, along with concrete tips on the best donation sites and recycling tricks and tips. 

The Best Places for Donating Unwanted Items

“Just donate it” isn’t enough guidance, and it often leads to waste. Bergman encourages clients to match items with places that truly need them. “The more specific the destination, the more meaningful and sustainable the donation,” she explains. “I have many clients who, once they have an idea of exactly where something will go, the releasing is easier.”

One caveat: If you wouldn’t give it to a friend, don’t donate it. “Donation centers are not a catch-all for garbage,” warns Holly Chayes, personal style coach and consultant at Who Wears Who. “These are spaces for useful items in good condition that just don’t work for you.”

Amelie Saint-Jacques, a professional organizer, breaks down possible donation sites based on her extensive experience: 

• Baby and maternity items: Residential centers for women and families
• Office supplies: Local schools 
• Books: Public libraries (for rummage sales) or secondhand bookstores
• Children's toys: Daycares 
• Crafting kits and board games: Hospital or senior centers 
• Unused toiletries: Homeless shelters 
• Construction materials: Habitat for Humanity 
• Pet supplies and/or used linens: Local animal rescues
• Larger, difficult-to-recycle items: Local rage rooms 
• Miscellaneous items: Local community theater

“Some cities also have a creative reuse store where you can drop off various odds and ends,” Saint-Jacques says, “like Spare Parts in San Antonio and Austin Creative Reuse in Austin.” 

 Local "buy nothing" groups are also incredibly effective. “These items go directly to someone who wants them,” Bergman explains, “which increases the likelihood they’ll actually be used.” 

Repurposing Tips and Tricks

Repurposing becomes easier when you stop thinking in categories and start thinking in function. “A basket doesn’t have to stay in the bathroom, and kitchen items don’t have to stay in the kitchen,” Bergman says. “I often help clients ‘shop their home’ first before buying anything new.” 

Another powerful shift is realizing that repurposing doesn’t have to happen within your own home. “Passing items along to a family member, neighbor, or friend who can immediately use them is one of the simplest and most effective forms of repurposing,” she continues. “Often, I ask, ‘Do you know a young adult going away to college soon?’”

Old furniture pieces are also great organizing tools when you think outside the box. Laura Wittmann, author of Clutter Rehab: 101 Tips and Tricks to Declutter Your Home and Organize Your Space, uses a small TV stand on the floor of her closet to hold a laundry basket. This allows her to use her closet's shelving for other items, essentially doubling her space. 

Know When to Let Go

“But don't get stuck on holding on to things just because you might need them one day,” Wittmann warns. “That's how clutter collects so fast in the first place. If you can't think of a way to repurpose something, let it go.”

Likewise, many people often stash stuff somewhere in their house for a garage sale—which is great if you'll actually do it within the month, Wittman says. “In my professional experience, the well-meaning garage sale just never seems to happen, and clutter just continues to pile up,” she warns. “The time and energy required for a garage sale must be considered when considering this option.”

What to Consider When Recycling

Recycling can be tricky. Not everything is accepted in our curbside recycle bins, and wishful recycling often leads to contamination. “For example, harder-to-recycle items—like paint, electronics, textiles, or batteries—require specialty programs or drop-off locations,” Bergman explains. “This also helps clients to feel confident about their decision and goes back to the motivation.”

However, Wittmann finds that some people end up holding on to things much longer than needed simply because they can't find the perfect place to donate. It’s important not to let this hinder your progress. 

Saint-Jacques offers these suggestions when recycling: 

• Medications: Return to the pharmacy for safe disposal or look up the next United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Take Back Day 
• Small electronics, printer cartridges, and batteries: Your local electronics or office supply store 
• Old documents: UPS centers and other printers services may offer shredding

What to Do With Sentimental Items

Sentimental items are often the hardest category to declutter. “Old drawings from your kids, postcards, letters, and favorite band T-shirts may not serve a practical purpose, but they carry emotional weight,” says Maria Gatea, home trends research lead at Storagecafe.com. 

Instead of keeping everything in boxes, Gatea often suggests repurposing the most meaningful pieces into something visible and usable. “Scan children’s artwork and display it on a digital frame so you can scroll through memories anytime,” she suggests. “Frame a favorite T-shirt. Create a collage wall or a coffee table album with postcards and photos. That way, you honor the memories without letting them take over your storage space.”

How to Start If You’re Stuck

When we feel overwhelmed and don't know where to start, we may not have made the first step small enough. Instead of thinking "I have to declutter my bedroom" and getting stuck, Saint-Jacques suggests starting even smaller. 

“For example, think, ‘I will declutter my closet,’” she suggests. “First, I will clear everything on the floor, then take care of the top shelves, then the hanging rods on the left, and finally the ones on the right. Next week I'll tackle the dresser, one drawer at a time.’"

However, if you find yourself still having trouble, you might consider other measures.

Host an Event

Many people find it more motivating to declutter when there's something to look forward to, suggests professional organizer Liora Seltzer, like family or friends who are coming to stay over, a big celebration, event, or milestone. “The absolute best way to get motivated is to commit to it publicly,” Seltzer says. “Tell your friends and family about it, share on social media or any other way that works for you.”

Consider a Reverse Housewarming

If some of your items hold sentimental meaning and you can't imagine giving them to strangers, why not give your old, unused treasures a second life with friends and neighbors? “Invite your friends over for a reverse housewarming party,” says Laura McHolm, chief of organized living and co-founder at NorthStar Moving Company. “Instead of them bringing you a gift, they get to take home your old treasure. Ask each person to pick something off your treasure table that they can use and want to take home.” 

Swap Rooms

Some of us move homes every five or 10 years, but many stay put for decades. “Moving is the time when we get rid of the most stuff, so if you haven’t moved in years, things are piling up,” McHolm says. Remember when you first moved into your home? Life was full of possibilities: the empty space, clean shelves, fresh paint, and newly organized closets.” 

You can have all that bliss again just by switching rooms in your home. “This ‘internal move’ naturally leads to decluttering during the process just as a normal move does,” McHolm says. “The bonus is your house will feel bigger and new because of the newly organized and refreshed spaces.”